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They seem tohave been written on another planet. I wished I had never sat down
to dinewith him. A person of my age marries whom he pleases. And here the
speaker paused, as if undecided how to continue hisnarrative. But,chiefest of
all, a perambulating repository of fads and perversities. Watertonorders a hot
bath for himself, and another one for the owls.
My dear boy, I said, youve been
drinking.
Andthose utter silences—how different from all the senseless noise
andbustle and stench of London! But I have had thempulled up, every jack one of
them. Needless toadd, he was simply dumbfounded when I told him the story.
I
said nothing else because I really didnt knowhow to take him.
Waterton
distressed becausehis Bahia toad was called an Ugly Brute!
The doctor remarked
to me:In the plenitude of life, how glibly one talks of death! I waspresent, my
friend, on the field of Solferino.
He burst out:Not a day of decent government
since they set foot in the place! It was one of his jocular habits to give
names to the more prominentanimals and trees in his park. Youre wearing a tasty
suit this evening, I began, as soon as wehad taken our seats. It was one of his
jocular habits to give names to the more prominentanimals and trees in his
park. My mother told me never to laugh at her,but to respect her age and
poverty. A sparrowhops and a wagtail runs: shall all human beings think and
behavealike? I can well believe it, and perhaps you had better see a doctor
afterall.
The doctor remarked to me:In the plenitude of life, how glibly one
talks of death!
No imposture was too fantastic for him toswallow. When I
returned frommy voyage, she was no longer living.
That is precisely what gave
him hischance as an agriculturist. But her unreasoning pride did notsimplify
matters.
The Park, with its solemn avenues, lay atour feet embedded in snow. My
dear fellow, since when are you interested in ghosts?
How odd that you should
know better than I do!
Ah, that is Watertons secret and hischarm! He was
different, somehow,from the jovial and smiling OBeirne I used to know.
Now tell
me: would you not call that the Last Word?
His Excellency aloneseemed agitated
in a remarkable degree.
Nearly, echoed the doctor in a somewhat dissatisfied
tone.
Evenon ordinary occasions the domain must have been a sight for the
gods.
It sprang out of the earth and accosted me, just asyou did ten minutes
ago.
Presently there was a lull, a sudden break, in the conversation. There was
not much to bury, from allaccounts.
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